NAIROBI
(Xinhua) -- A breeder feeds a
rothschild giraffe at the giraffe center in
Nairobi
, capital of
Kenya
. There are 10 rothschild giraffe individuals at
the center that was founded in 1979. The
rothschild giraffe is one of the most endangered
giraffe subspecies with about 670 individuals
remaining in the wild. Most of them living in
the wild are in protected areas in
Kenya
and
Uganda
.XINHUA
PHOTO - MENG CHENGUANG

.

Kenya
to deploy one thousand rangers to beef up wildlife
security

The
East African nation says it’s at a point where it
cannot allow further poaching of wildlife because
the
animal numbers have been reducing at an alarming
rate.

NAIROBI
(Xinhua) --The
Kenyan government said on Saturday it would deploy
1,000 more rangers to beef up wildlife security
efforts to curb rising incidents of poaching across
the East African nation.

Government
spokesman Muthui Kariuki said the deployment of more
rangers by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) will help
in scaling up efforts to salvage the remaining
elephants in
Kenya
, 74 elephants having already been killed in the first
three months of 2013 alone. equipment to facilitate
the security operations.

“KWS
is modernising its force with the support of the
government. We intend to fight poachers at all
levels to save our elephants,” he said in the
latest anti-poaching measures the East African
nation has taken amid dwindling wildlife population.

The
wildlife agency has enhanced the round-the-clock
surveillance at all
Kenya
’s entry exit and entry points while sniffer dogs
and their handlers have proved incorruptible and have
once again outsmarted the smugglers.

The
East African nation says it’s at a point where it
cannot allow further poaching of wildlife because the
animal numbers have been reducing at an alarming rate.

Most
recent statistics from the KWS for instance indicate
that the number of elephants for instance has reduced
from a high of 160,000 in 1970s to below 30,000.

KWS
said between the 1970s and 1980s
Kenya
lost over 80 percent of her elephants, mainly due to
intensive poaching of elephants for ivory.

Also
affected are the Black Rhinos whose number declined
from 20,000 in 1970 to current 577, putting it under
the category of “critically endangered” animal.

Lion
is also one of the most endangered animals not only in
Kenya
but across
Africa
.
Kenya
has an estimated 1,800 lions, down from 2,800 in 2002.
The country had 30,000 lions in the 1960s, KWS data
reveals.

Kenya lost 289 elephants to poaching in
2011 and another 384 elephants in 2012.

There
have been fears that the illegal trade for the
wildlife parts has led their being priced high making
them attractive to transnational criminals who mostly
prefer dealing in high value commodities.

Kariuki
said the ranger force would be equipped with cutting
edge training, noting however that lenient penalties
by the Courts were major setbacks in the fight
against poaching.

Kariuki
called for a review of outdated wildlife laws, which
he says should be replaced with stiffer penalties and
jail terms.

“The
government is concerned about this and has
facilitated the process of reviewing the wildlife
law and policy with a view to having more deterrent
penalties and jail terms,” Kariuki said.

The
government spokesman’s remarks come after a family
of 10 elephants were killed in February by poachers in
the Tsavo, posing a greatest blow to the war against
poaching in the East African nation

Kariuki
expressed hope that the 11th Parliament would give
priority to a new wildlife policy also aimed at
fighting poaching, adding that the Constitution has
already placed progressive provisions on the
protection of the environment including wildlife
conservation.

He
argued that outdated wildlife laws needed to be
reviewed with a view of setting up stiffer penalties
and jail terms noting that
Kenya
lost 289 elephants to poaching in 2011 and another 384
elephants in 2012.

The
wildlife agency in March has announced plans to deploy
a free software tool for rangers specifically designed
to stop rising poaching in the East African nation.

The
new Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool(SMART 1.0)
was developed through a partnership of conservation
organisations such as CITES-MIKE, the Frankfurt
Zoological Society, the North Carolina Zoo, Wildlife
Conservation Society, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and
the Zoological Society of London.

The
conservationists have decried the entry of organized
crime syndicates into the illegal wildlife trade, most
notably of rhino horn and elephant ivory, which they
said, has created a crisis situation in many African
countries.

The
KWS on its part has expressed fears that the scenes of
1970s and 80s when poaching was a serious menace, and
contributed to the depletion of wildlife including
elephants, lions and rhinos are back, are threatening
many years of conservation efforts and animal
populations that had started to balloon.

SMART
1.0 is an innovative management tool designed to
assist rangers on the ground to stop poachers in their
tracks and curb the illegal trade of wildlife.

SMART
is not owned by any one individual or organization;
it’s free and available to the whole conservation
community.

It’s
also a combination of software, training materials,
and implementation standards which provide protected
area authorities and community groups with the ability
to empower staff, boost motivation, increase
efficiency, and promote credible and transparent
monitoring of the effectiveness of anti-poaching
efforts.

World
Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s Asian Species Expert, Barney
Long said the new tool was crucial as traditional
approaches to stopping poaching had failed.

.

Kenyan
and Tanzanian poachers

arrested in possession of ivory

NAIROBI
(Xinhua) -- Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS)
said two suspected poachers, a Tanzanian and his
Kenyan accomplice have been arrested while in
possession of six pieces of ivory weighing
43kilograms.

KWS
said in a statement issued on Saturday that Emellian
Shirima, Tanzanian, and Uchapa Mirie, Kenyan were
arrested on Thursday in Taita Taveta in the coastal
region.

“It
is believed that the ivory was from a recent
poaching incident in the area. KWS officials will
prefer charges against the suspects for being in
illegal possession, dealing with a government trophy
and failing to make a report of being in its
possession to authorities,” the statement said.

In
February, two Tanzanians were arraigned in a
Nairobi
court after they were arrested with 16 pieces of ivory
weighing 141 kilograms in
Ongata
Rongai
Township
on the outskirts of
Nairobi
.A
Tanzanian registered vehicle was impounded in the
incident.

Rampant
poaching in
Kenya
has forced the wildlife agency to step up
anti-poaching measures after experiencing a loss of 19
elephants since the beginning of 2012.

The
East African nation is among countries in
Africa
where poaching is rampant despite the vice having been
outlawed in the country in 1977.

Kenya is known for its great variety of
wildlife, which includes elephants, giraffes,
wildebeests, lions, cheetah and leopards. These
animals are protected in national parks.

Meanwhile,
KWS said two suspects were also arrested for being in
possession of two pieces of elephant tusks weighing 7
kilograms in
Kilifi
County
on Thursday.

The
two, Jumaa Mulwa and David Fondo, were arraigned in
court on Friday.

KWS
and other law enforcement agencies have intensified
security operations and surveillance across the
country to curb wildlife related crimes.